Historic Delgamuwa Vihara:

Where the Sacred Tooth Relic was hidden

Story and pictures by Mahil Wijesinghe

Entering through a huge Makara Thorana, I make my way through the narrow pathway of Sri Dalada Mawatha- it is a brisk half-hour of walking in a rustic setting with a breathtaking view of the awe-inspiring mountains and a glimpses of Sri Pada. The 'Sal' trees laden with blossoms lies in the temple premises. Heaps of fallen Sal flowers had been freshly swept into piles, emanating a glorious fragrance.

Peace and tranquility is the first thought that comes to your mind as you step into less known Delgamuwa Vihara. Said to date as far back as the Kingdom of Seethawaka, Delgamuwa Vihara holds a significant place in our annals. At a glance it may look like any other temple complex, but it is the role that it played providing protection to the Sacred Tooth Relic of the Buddha for more than 40 years in the (Kurahangala) grinding stone from invaders that makes it unique.

DelgamuwaVihara is situated in a sleepy village of Delgamuwa in Kuruwita, Ratnapura and can be reached via the A4 (Colombo-Batticaloa road). Located close to Kuru Ganga on a small hillock with a grand vista of the countryside sprawling below at the edge of a vast stretch of paddy fields of Delgamuwa. The ancient chronicle Rajawaliya, refers to the temple as the Sabaragamu Viharaya and the Mahawansa refers to this place as Labujagaama Viharaya.

Ever since the 4th Century A.D., when the Gautama Buddha's Tooth Relic was brought to Sri Lanka hidden in Orissan Princess Hemamala's hair, the Relic had grown in repute and veneration in Sri Lanka and throughout the Buddhist world. It became not only Sri Lanka's most prized possession, but the very seal of sovereignty. The national capital was regarded as the place where the Tooth Relic was permanently housed.

With the fall of Anuradhapura Kingdom in the face of Chola invasions in the tenth Century AD, the Sri Lankan Kingdom was constantly on the move and the sacred Tooth Relic was also moved from Kingdom to Kingdom with all the pomp and pageantry of royal patronage and protection.

The Sacred Tooth Relic's narration with DelgamuwaVihara is an interesting episode during the days of King Mayadunne in Kingdom of Seethawaka. Chief Incumbent of the Vihara, Ven. MaahalleVipulatissa Thera described to us the history of the Vihara.

According to the historical notes, in the time of Kotte Kingdom, Keerawelle Hiripitiya Nilame- the Diyawadana Nilame of the time to whose protection the sacred Tooth Relic had been bestowed- saw a dream where he was advised to take the sacred Tooth Relic away from Kotte. After replacing the sacred Tooth Relic with an imitation, the Nilame fled to the Pepiliyana temple to meet a monk for a better interpretation of his dream. There the monk urged him to take the sacred Tooth Relic to the Central region as danger was imminent.

At the meantime, the sacred Relic was taken to King Mayadunne of Seethawaka Kingdom who gave it to pious monk, Ven. Mahindalankara Thera of the Delgamuwa Vihara. The Thera hid the sacred Tooth Relic in a (Kurahangala) grinding stone which has been kept in the Vihara for over 40 years. However, King Mayadunne was killed by his own son, Tikiri Kumaru who became King of Seethawaka as Rajasingha I. He want to pay his homage to the sacred Tooth Relic and decided to hold a Perahera, which started from the DelgamuwaVihara and then proceeded to Saman Vehera in Ratnapura, (presently Maha Saman Devalaya), joining the annual grand Esala Perahera.

The sacred Tooth Relic which was hidden in the grinding stone at DelgamuwaVihare in Kuruwita, was then brought to Kandy by King Wimaladharmasuriya I. Due to initiatives of Ven. Devanagala Ratnalankara Thera of Senkadagala after a discussion with Ven. Mahindalankara Thera and Diyawadana Nilame of Keerawelle, Hiripitiye, the sacred Tooth Relic was kept in a special two storeyed temple erected in proximity to the royal palace in Kandy.

After the sacred Tooth Relic was taken to Kandy, the Portuguese had invaded Delgamuwa Vihara, robbed everything there and established a fortress in the name of Kuruwita Balakotuwa. But later the Vihara was restored and in 1956, the unsheltered grinding stone where the sacred Tooth Relic was hidden for many years, was kept on a protected structure for devotees to pay homage.

An ancient stone inscription mentioning that King Rajasinghe I of Seethawaka had offered several villages including Delgamuwa to the Sacred Tooth Relic, was found in the temple ground a century ago. Thinking that these properties would have been lost to them, an ancestral village headman and a few villagers are said to have buried this inscription in the well at the temple. Ven. Maahalle Vipulathissa Thera told me that he was told of this episode by a few elderly persons in the village who had seen it with their own eyes when they were small boys.

The temple is divided into two sections as the upper and lower terrace. While the residence of the monks (Avasa Ge) lies in the lower terrace, a path leads towards a flight of stone steps to the upper terrace of the temple. Ending my ascent, I came upon a white dagaba along with the modern image house which was rendered with colorful paintings.

Today what remains of DelgamuwaVihara gives you a glimpse of a ruined foundation of a building, a few stone carved flights of steps, two ruined stone carved flower altars and most significantly, a massive (Kurahangala) grinding stone which provided protection for the sacred Tooth Relic, placed in a specially built structure in the upper terrace under the shade of centuries old massive Bo tree with its sprawling branches spread out in all directions in the upper terrace.

As I ventured further into eastern side, there lies another oval shape two storey building housing some artefacts. Ancient coins, tiles, small grinding stones and pieces of porcelain plates which belong to different periods of time have been e3xcavated from the temple grounds and are now exhibited in this well protected place.

Look at the surrounding vista, what drew me was the profound serenity of this spiritual site.With history at the seams, the chief priest says if an extensive archaeological excavation is carried out in the site, new discoveries will unearthed here. We decided to leave it to the archaeologists who may one day rediscover the temple's glorious past and finally tell the long forgotten tale of Delgamuwa Vihara.